When Nightmares are Real
by ElectricInferno
Summary: Merlin's powers are growing faster than he can handle and as his friends find out about his magic they react the way Merlin had always thought they would-they hate him.
1. Chapter 1

**_So here is the first chapter of my first fanfic. :) This is fun I glad I tried it_**

_Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic._

"Guards! I said take this sorcerer to the dungeons. Immediately!" Uther cried.

"I think that you had better come with us." The guard said, grabbing Merlin's arm.

Merlin was already hyperventilating when the door to Uther's chambers closed and the guards released Merlin.

"Sorry sir, it is one of his bad days." The guard said. "It has been happening more and more these last few weeks."

Once Merlin was certain that the guards were really letting him go, writing the incident off as part of the king's instability, he managed to calm himself down enough to give them a nod and head back towards Gaius's chambers. What Merlin would never tell the guards was that this was one of Uther's most lucid days since Morgana had taken Camelot a year before. When Merlin had knocked over the tray of food he had brought to the king in Gwen's stead Uther had thrown the goblet at him. Of course instead of dodging the goblet as he did with Arthur every day he had stopped it in midair instead- and in front of the bloody king! Merlin now smashed his head against the wall at his own stupidity.

"Merlin, what our you doing?" Arthur asked

_Idiot._ "Nothing sire." Merlin said

Arthur looked like he wanted to say more on the matter but instead said "The guards said you had been to see my father. Why?"

"I was delivering his lunch for Gwen, she has been helping Gaius with his rounds."

Arthur looked suspicious. "Why weren't you helping him with his rounds?"

"He was getting tired of having to remake the potions." Merlin said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Now this Arthur could believe. Everyone knew Merlin couldn't walk ten feet without tripping on air. "Being a clutz again Merlin?" Arthur joked.

Merlin's response was not what Arthur had expected. "Yeah, sure." Merlin muttered and hurried away, leaving Arthur watching him in surprise.

Merlin wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up, his magic had really begun getting out of hand and he was having a harder and harder time keeping it under wraps. He opened the door to Gaius' chambers to find both Gaius and Gwen facing away from him while Gaius prepared a remedy of some kind.

Merlin slammed the door behind him, setting of yet another chain of events that were making it so hard to keep his magic hidden. Gwen turned around to see who had entered the room and accidentally knocked over a metal pitcher in the process. It loudly clanged as it hit the floor, startling Merlin. Every piece of glassware in the room shattered.

Gaius immediately jumped into action, which was lucky because Merlin was too shocked to do much of anything, and essentially pushed Gwen out of the room making up some excuse about how hot the day was and needing to clean up.

After he got the door closed behind her he turned to face Merlin, whose mouth was guppying as he struggled for something to say. "Merlin, this is getting seriously out of hand." Gaius said.

Merlin hung his head in shame. "I know Gaius," he whispered, "But I don't know what to do about it." Without another word he began picking up the pieces of glass and reassembling them. With magic.

"I know, Merlin, I know." Gaius said. He was silent for awhile. Once all of the glassware was back to the condition it had been in before Merlin had entered the room he said, "Well that takes care of one problem, but you are going to have to deal with Gwen."

Merlin groaned, realizing that Gaius was right. Who knew what Gwen had seen of what happened? She had been looking right at him when he had used magic after all. He ran out of the room after her, and explanation already beginning to form in his mind.

Gwen was in Arthur's room. _Of course, just because this day wasn't bad enough already._ He opened the door with a smile on his face. Gwen stiffened at the sight of him. She looked terrified. Merlin's smile quickly faded.

"Gwen are you going to tell me what's wrong or not?" Arthur asked, completely ignoring Merlin.

Merlin managed to find his voice. "Arthur, would you mind if I speak to Gwen privately?"

Luckily Arthur was being as oblivious as usual. "Sure, Merlin, go right ahead." He said as he turned back to the pile of paperwork awaiting him.

Guinevere quite reluctantly followed Merlin out of the room and around a corner into an empty hallway. "Gaius wanted me to explain what happened." Merlin began

Gwen cut him off by shoving him backwards so he hit the wall. "Don't even start," Gwen said with tears in her eyes, "I know exactly what happened. I saw your eyes change colour. You used magic, you're a sorcerer!"

Merlin was shocked. _This isn't happening. This can't be happening! _"Gwen you know me," he didn't try to deny what had happened. "I'm your friend, I'm not evil." He was pleading, pleading for her to believe him.

"That's what I thought about Morgana."

Merlin felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He did not try to stop her as she ran away from him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to those of you who reviewed- This Guy, lilyflower1345, and CaptainAlias- as well as everyone else who gave it a chance despite my poor title and summary writing skills. I really appreciate it.**

Merlin took a deep breath and tried to calm down before he opened the door to Arthur's chambers. _They would have come for me already if Gwen had said anything._ He reasoned with himself. _I have nothing to worry about._ But still, he worried. With another deep breath he pushed open the door and plastered a smile on his face. "Dinner!" he called and set the tray on the table.

Arthur pushed away the paperwork he was doing- there was a lot more of it since he had become regent- and pulled the tray towards him. He began to inhale his food and Merlin wandered over to light the fire for the night. He bent over so that Arthur would not see what he was doing and lit the fire with magic.

"_Mer_lin!"

Merlin jumped._ Oh no, what did he see?_ "Yes, sire?" he asked, turning to face Arthur.

The prince was staring off into space thoughtfully. "Did you notice that Gwen was acting strangely this afternoon?" he asked.

_Of course he has to choose now to start noticing things._ Though if Merlin would admit it to himself he would realize that Arthur was always more attentive where Gwen was concerned. He just wasn't sure if he found Arthur being less oblivious a good thing or a bad thing. Certainly on this front it would only bring Merlin trouble. Merlin chose to joke it off. "What have you been so much of a prat you have begun scaring her off?"

A single glance from Arthur said that he wasn't in the mood for their usual banter. Merlin immediately sobered.

"You're her friend, have you noticed anything strange about her?"

"No, sire."

Something seemed to occur to Athur. "What did you need to talk to her about earlier?"

Merlin felt the blood begin to drain from his face. "Gaius just wanted me to thank her for helping with the rounds this morning."

"And why couldn't you have said that in front of me?"

Merlin began racking his brain and luckily he came up with something believable. "Arthur, you have been using any excuse you can find to get out of doing necessary tasks." Merlin said, eyeing the papers on the table meaningfully.

Although this earned Merlin a glare, Arthur seemed to accept this explanation and Merlin was able to leave the room. As soon as he had however he wished he hadn't. When he left the room he immediately ran into someone and, with a loud yelp, sent them flying backwards into the opposite wall. There was a loud crack as their head hit the floor. Arthur came rushing out of the room and took in the scene with a trained eye. "What happened to Gwaine, Merlin?"

"I…I don't know." Merlin said. He was ready to collapse. Was he still standing? He looked down to check-yes he was.

"We need to get him to Gaius." Arthur said sensibly. All Merlin could do was nod.

…

"What happened?" Gaius asked as soon as they entered the room.

Arthur carried Gwaine in and laid him down on the bed. "I have no idea, we just found him like this."

Gaius glanced at his ward and instantly knew something was wrong. The boy looked like he was about to break down. "Sire, could you please leave for the time being? I need to focus to find out what is wrong."

"Of course Gaius, send for me if you need me." Arthur said and left the room.

As soon as the door closed he turned on his ward. "What happened Merlin?"

Merlin collapsed backwards into a chair and began speaking almost too fast to follow. "I used magic in front of Uther and Gwen, I almost got arrested, Gwen hates me-I mean she compared me to Morgana for crying out loud! And now I have hurt Gwaine! …"

"Merlin calm down! What happened to Gwaine?" Gaius asked slowly.

Merlin took in a shaky breath and, voice cracking, said, "I ran into him and I used magic to throw him against the wall. I heard a crack when he hit the ground."

Gaius immediately began examining Gwaine's head. It was bloody and quickly beginning to swell but the skull appeared to be intact. "Well this is probably why he is unconscious, but Merlin you must tell me what spell you used so I will know if I need to treat him for anything else."

"Don't you get it Gaius? I didn't cast a spell; it just happened! I am losing control. I am worse at hiding my magic than when I first came to Camelot!" The fire began to flare and grow larger as did the flame of every candle in the room.

"_Mer_lin."

"Gaius you just don't get it! Everything is falling apart around me and I don't know what to do about it!" The fires were getting dangerously close to setting the room alight.

"Merlin, I know it's hard but you must calm down before you burn down the castle."

Merlin took a few deep breathes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed something else to focus on. "Will Gwaine be okay?" he asked.

Gaius nodded vigorously. "Yes he should wake soon enough, albeit with a bad headache. But Merlin, this is truly getting out of hand. I think you should go speak to the dragon about it."

This earned him a hard glare from Merlin, making Gaius wish desperately for his smiling, joking, clumsy ward to reappear. "Don't you think that I already have? He just said something about my power growing and destiny knocking at the door before laughing and flying off."

"So you've had no trouble casting spells?"

"None. I have so much magic I can't keep it under wraps. It is growing faster than I can learn to control it."

"Wha…what are you talking about?"

"Gwaine you're awake!" Merlin cried, running over to him.

"Merlin? Wha appen?" he asked, confused. Before he received an answer however the memory of what happened came back to him. He jumped off the bed, ready for a fight and Merlin was forced to leap backwards into the corner to avoid a collision. Gwaine drew his sword and pointed it at Merlin's throat. "Who are you and what have you done with Merlin, sorcerer." Gwaine spat the final word.

"Gwaine, it's me. I didn't know it was you, you surprised me. I'm sorry!" He was fighting to hold back tears.

Gwaine was now pressing the sword against the skin of his throat, drawing a small trickle of blood. Merlin shared a long glance with Gaius. Gaius gave him a nod and he teleported himself out. He reappeared with a mighty blast of wind in a clearing some ways away from Camelot. The landing was far from smooth. He rolled to a stop covered in dirt and leaves. Once the winds had faded and he got his bearings he curled into a ball and cried.


	3. Chapter 3

**I figured out how to respond to reviews :) So I will be doing that from now on. Here is chapter three, hope you enjoy!**

That was the first night he had the visions. They came to him in his sleep. They were just random images really, Gaius knocking over a kettle, Leon receiving a deep slice to his shoulder during training, Morgana marching on the castle with an army of sorcerers.

Merlin woke up with a start. The sky was just beginning to grey with pre-dawn light and the ground was wet with dew. It was time to head back to Camelot.

…

When Merlin vanished into thin air Gwaine turned on Gaius. "Gaius? What is going on here? Where is Merlin?"

"I don't know." Gaius answered. It was true, he just hoped that his ward had the sense to teleport himself to somewhere outside of the castle.

"We _must_ find him, but first I must inform Arthur that we need to catch this sorcerer that has been impersonating him."

Gaius' spirits dropped like a rock. This wasn't going to go well. Gwaine was already heading for the door so Gaius grabbed his wrist and pulled him back with a strength the old man shouldn't have been able to manage. "Gwaine, that _was_ Merlin.

"No. No, that was a sorcerer. A sorcerer who attacked me." Gwaine said, shaking his head in confusion, his eyes shining with denial.

"Gwaine, Merlin has magic. He was born with it. You surprised him. He didn't mean to throw you like that."

Gwaine was silent. He just kept shaking his head. Without another word he left the room, slamming the door behind him. Gaius heard him stomping all the way down the hall. He would just have to hope for the best.

…

Well after dawn Gaius heard a crash and some swearing in the Old Tongue from behind the door to Merlin's room. _He's back_. Gaius sighed in relief.

Merlin walked out of his room after a few minutes wearing fresh clothes, his hair sticking up at odd angles, and covered in significantly less muck than when he had teleported in.

"Breakfast is on the table." Gaius said, trying to hide his relief and his concern.

Merlin nodded and walked over to stand next to him for a reason even he wasn't totally sure of. It was then that Gaius knocked over the kettle. Merlin, subconsciously expecting this, shot out his hand and deftly caught it. Gaius gaped at this but Merlin's reaction was a bit more violent. He began shaking and after setting the kettle on the already cluttered table sat down hard on the floor.

Gaius knelt down beside him and placed his hand on his ward's shoulder. "Merlin, what just happened?"

"I knew Gaius. I knew it was going to happen." He was still shaking violently. He now turned to look directly at Gaius and the fear in his eyes was greater than Gaius had ever seen it. "I saw that it was going to happen last night…in my dreams."

Gaius' eyes widened a bit at this revelation but before he could say anything Percival and Leon crashed through the door.

"Merlin, Arthur wants you at the training grounds immediately. He said something about needing a moving target since no one brought him his breakfast this morning."

Merlin groaned and followed them out the door. It was when they were in the hallway that Merlin spotted a rusted spot on the shoulder of Sir Leon's mail shirt and remembered the next part of the vision he had had the night before.

Leon noticed Merlin's look and asked, "What, is it Merlin?"  
>"Your armour…" Was all Merlin could say.<p>

Seeing the rusted area Leon shrugged it off, "Yeah, it hasn't been as well taken care of as it should be. It will take time to get it fixed though, so for now I will just have to live with it. It's no big deal really."

He and Percival began walking again, not thinking about it further, but then Merlin called out, "You can't go out to training today."

This caused both of the knights to turn around and face him. "What did you just say?" Leon asked incredulously.

"If you go out to practice today you are going to get hurt." Merlin said seriously, not realizing how his words could be misinterpreted.

Now Percival's eyes widened in surprise and Leon took a single step towards him. "Merlin…are you threatening me?"

"What? No." Merlin said, confused. "All I'm saying is that if you attend the training session today you are going to regret it."

At this even Percival glared angrily at Merlin. They both turned on their heel and walked away from him, their boots clonking against the stone floor as they walked away.

…

Sweat was pouring down Merlin's face as he carried the heavy target on his back. "Prat!" he called out.

He almost lost his balance when he felt the heavy thud of the knife hitting the target. Arthur laughed behind him. "Idiot! I can hear you, you know?" Arthur walked up and pulled the knife out with a hard jerk. "Tomorrow you will bring me breakfast and _on time_."

"If you weren't so hopeless you could get ready in the morning yourself without forgetting anything."

At this Arthur's face turned red. He had forgotten to put on his belt that morning only to have his pants fall down when he walked into the hallway. Without anything else to say in response he said, "Idiot."

"Dollop head!"

Arthur pushed against the target that was still on Merlin's back and, arms flailing hopelessly in circles, he face planted into the muddy ground. Merlin propped himself up on one elbow and tried to wipe off the mud on his face only to find that his hand was jump as coated in mud. They both burst out laughing and Arthur stuck his hand out for Merlin to take. He grabbed on and Arthur pulled him up then helped him extricate himself from the straps that allowed the target to be carried. Arthur threw his arm around Merlin's shoulders and together they walked over to where Gwaine and Leon were fighting with swords.

Merlin was happy to see that Gwaine was up and about already but as soon as Gwaine caught sight of him fear filled his eyes and he became distracted. Leon followed his gaze but Gwaine's sword was still on the path it had been traveling prior to Merlin's arrival. The blade struck the mail on Leon's shoulder that should have protected him from just such a blow, but as if cruel fate wished to toy with Merlin even more than normal it directly struck the rusted spot that so desperately needed repair. The mail broke and the tiny circular links were forced deep into the wound the sword was now able to slice.

Deep crimson liquid began gushing out and without another thought Arthur and Gwaine seized the man and ran him all the way to Gaius while Merlin struggled to stall the bleeding despite the violent bouncing caused by their pounding feet.

…

When Merlin walked into Gaius' chambers after making the rounds for him he did not find Gaius but Leon, Gwaine, and Gwen huddled together and Percival standing a few yards away and off to one side, clearly separate from the conversation. When the door closed they all looked up and Merlin received three hard stares and one curious one.

It was Gwen who finally spoke. "I didn't say anything to Arthur because I thought I knew you. I hoped that somehow you weren't like Morgana. Clearly I was wrong."

Merlin's eyes went wide at this but he said nothing. What could he say to a declaration like that?

"You have now attacked two of my friends, heck two of your friends, two knights of Camelot!"

She got more angry and more bitter as she spoke but Merlin was having trouble focusing on that. _Two? Who is the second? _Then with a shock he remembered Leon's reaction that morning to his warning. _Leon thinks I caused his injury!_

"Well, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Merlin just stood there, not sure what to do in response. Then Gwen surprised him even further by pulling off her shoe and throwing it at him as hard as she could. Just as when he had been with Uther he stopped the shoe in midair without thinking about it. Once he realized what he had done he let the shoe clatter to the ground.

Gwen glanced at Leon and Percival meaningfully. _Stupid! She was giving them proof of what I am. They weren't certain, only suspicious._

It was Leon who spoke now, his eyes hard and cold. "We are going to tell Arthur what you are, and you are going to be_ executed_."

If he had been thinking clearly Merlin probably would have been happy to see that everyone but Leon flinched at the last word but there was only one thought on his mind. _I need to find Lancelot and I need to get out of here._ He rushed back out through the door to go find him. He didn't see that mere seconds later Percival followed.


	4. Chapter 4

**thank you again to everyone who has been reading this. I have been trying to update daily but I am camping this week which means-dum dum dum...no internet! I will probably be updating again sometime this weekend.**

Merlin ran through the castle, the world blurring around him because of the tears that were threatening. He found Lancelot by the stables chatting with the servants who were filling the feeding troughs. Becoming a knight had in no way changed his personality.

Lancelot was surprised when Merlin ran up to him but once he got a good look at his friend who was covered in sweat, pale, and shaking he was instantly concerned. "What happened, Merlin?"

"I…I need to get out of Camelot _now_!" Merlin huffed out as he gasped for air from his sprint.

"What? What are you talking about?"

Gesticulating wildly he replied. "They know Lancelot. They know and they hate me and they are going to tell Arthur. You need to get me out of the city or they are going to _kill_ me!"

"What are you talking about Merlin? Who knows?" Lancelot asked, knowing automatically _what_ they must know.

It was then that Percival decided to walk out of the quickly deepening late afternoon shadows. Lancelot did not miss the way Merlin flinched at the sight of him.

"Gwen, Gwaine, and Leon." Percival said flatly. Lancelot shot him a questioning glance. "The people who know about what Merlin is and are going to turn him in." Percival explained.

Lancelot looked at Merlin who merely nodded in confirmation of Percival's words.

"You two prepare a horse, if you tell me what you will need I will go back and get it for you Merlin."

Merlin was instantly suspicious. "Why do you want to help me? You heard what the others were saying about me."

"I don't trust you." Percival said bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest. "But what you said to Leon seemed more like a warning than a threat. I am giving you the benefit of the doubt since you intend to leave anyway."

Merlin nodded, accepting his answer. "Thank you. If you go into my room there are some loose floorboards. Take the knapsack, book, and staff that are in there. I will also need some provisions." Percival nodded and headed back towards the castle to gather the supplies.

"You will not need anything else?" Lancelot asked with a raised brow.

Merlin suddenly seemed to find the ground beneath his feet infinitely fascinating. "I kept that knapsack prepared just in case something like this was ever to happen. It is filled with everything that I will need."

Merlin looked so young in that moment that Lancelot had to resist the urge to ruffle his hair and tell him everything would be okay; after all he knew it wouldn't. Merlin walked silently towards the stables and saddled a horse he had ridden on past trips. Lancelot walked another direction and after some minutes reappeared in the quickly darkening stables.

"Where did you go?" Merlin questioned.

"I realize that you are hopeless with a sword, but I figured it wouldn't hurt for you to carry one anyway." Lancelot said, forcing a smile.

"Thanks." Merlin whispered, taking the pile of items Lancelot offered him. There was the sword that Lancelot had mentioned, a sword belt-no surprise there, a dagger, and a brilliant blue cloak. Merlin unfolded it and noticed it had the Pendragon crest on the front. He raised an eyebrow at Lancelot who merely shrugged.

It was then that Merlin noticed the item that had been at the bottom of the pile. It was a mail shirt and Merlin could tell just by looking at it that it would fit him. He was far slighter in build than any of the knights or guards. There shouldn't have been a mail shirt small enough to fit him.

At his questioning look Lancelot said, "Arthur had that made for you specifically."

Before Merlin could respond Percival returned with the items that Merlin had requested. "Did Gaius say anything?" Merlin asked.

Percival shook his head. "He wasn't there."

Merlin packed everything into the saddle bags and mounted the horse. The three rode out of the main gates, the guards never even thinking to question where two knights and the prince's servant were headed at dusk.

…

Merlin stopped at the clearing he had teleported himself to after his confrontation with Gwaine. Had it really only been the night before? It was amazing how quickly his life was able to fall apart. He had met the dragon here several times before and had considered on the ride here whether or not he should call him now. He had decided against it. Kilgharrah would only say that he should go back to Camelot, that it was his destiny.

Merlin was snapped out of his reverie by Lancelot. "Would you like help setting up camp?"

Merlin turned away and using magic assembled a pile of wood and set it alight, filling the small, muddy clearing with a golden glow. The shadows among the trees almost seemed eerier in the firelight than they had in full dark. "Yes, I'll be fine. Would you say goodbye to Gaius for me, Lancelot?" His voice was a dry whisper.

"Of course I will, Merlin." He and Percival turned their horses around to head back to Camelot. "Stay safe."


	5. Chapter 5

**_I'm back and I'll be back to updating frequently. Someone said that the story was a bit ooc for most of the characters. I hadn't thought about it that way but I guess it is. I hope this chapter helps to explain their reactions a bit better._**

_Why did they choose _me_ to do this? _But Gwen knew why; she was the only one Arthur was likely believe…and not murder for saying it. _Come on Gwen, you can do it. Just walk in there and tell Arthur that Merlin is an evil sorcerer._ She took a shaky breath and pushed the door open.

…

Merlin was late, or well, later than usual. He was late enough that Arthur was beginning to get seriously worried. _Where is the idiot?_

Just then Gwen pushed open the door to Arthur's chambers. "Gwen, have you seen Merlin?" Arthur realized he sounded concerned about his servant and to make up for it said, "The idiot is half an hour late with my dinner."

Gwen wasn't fooled and Arthur's concern for Merlin made it that much harder to say what needed to be said. Gwen went completely out of character and decided to be blunt about it. "Arthur, Merlin is a sorcerer."

Arthur couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.

Gwen visibly paled and Arthur, seeing this, said, "Wait, you can't be…"  
>"I am completely serious. Merlin is a sorcerer. I saw proof with my own eyes. He attacked Gwaine yesterday and caused the accident with Leon today and now he has fled the city."<p>

All the blood drained out of Arthur's face and he began visibly shaking. "No, no it can't be. I know Merlin, he couldn't…"

"It's the truth Arthur."

Before Gwen had a chance to react Arthur rushed from the room. He made it to Gaius' chambers in record time. He burst through the door with such force that a stack of books collapsed. He strode up to Gaius and grabbed the old man's shoulders. "Gaius, is Merlin a sorcerer?"

Gaius had already been told what had happened by Lancelot and said the words that Arthur had most been dreading. "Yes, he is."

Arthur released him and stood frozen, mouth agape for a moment before collapsing backwards into a rather conveniently placed chair, as if it hadn't been there, he would have sat on the floor. Arthur put his face in his hands. _He couldn't…how could…when did…what am I going to do?_

…

If you had been a citizen of Camelot the next day and you had passed by the Prince you would have noticed that he was distracted, but as this had become normal for him during the last year you probably wouldn't have found it all too surprising. This was why neither the knights nor Gwen were sure what to make of the situation. Arthur was acting like he had never found out that Merlin had magic, like his servant was just out of the city collecting some herbs for Gaius as usual. This was also why none of them were prepared when he started calling them one by one into a small room frequently used by his father for interrogations. He quickly sent Elyan on his way, realizing that he only knew what he had been told by his sister, but the others took quite a bit longer.

Gwen

"You were the one who told me about Merlin's magic. When did you find out?" His eyes were icy. Gwen hadn't seen him look at her like that in years.

"Two days ago. He came into Gaius' chambers… his eyes turned gold, and …all the glass in the room shattered."

Arthur's eyes widened slightly at this but he gave no other reaction to her words. "Did he give you an explanation?"

She looked down at where her fingers were gripping the wooden table. "He tried," she whispered. "When I was in your room and he wanted to talk to me. I wouldn't listen though." She looked almost ashamed and even she wasn't quite sure why, after all he only would only have lied to her. "I knew what I had seen. It's just," Her voice cracked, "His eyes, they were just like Morgana's."

"You can leave now." Arthur said. He wanted to comfort her but he had other things on his mind. _Breaking glass isn't evil. I don't know why he would do it but it isn't evil certainly._

Gwaine

Gwaine was drunk, well not for him, but still. Arthur supposed it wasn't too surprising, especially under current circumstances.

"So Gwaine, tell me about Merlin's magic."

"I had suspected for awhile, I was okay with it really." This surprised Arthur since he knew Gwaine had been involved in the decision to out him. "I never thought…I guess I never thought he would attack me."

At this Arthur's eyes widened a fraction. Gwen had mentioned this but hadn't really explained it. "When did this happen?"

"Two days ago…outside your chambers. I was about to knock on your door and the next thing I knew Merlin burst out of your room and threw me against the wall with magic. When I woke up I confronted him and…Arthur, he disappeared right before my eyes."

This story would be shocking except that Arthur had been there when Gwaine was hurt. There was no way that Merlin had known Gwaine was out there. Moreover that cry from Merlin had definitely been one of surprise and Merlin wasn't that good at faking…but here Arthur had to stop himself. Merlin had managed to keep the fact that he had magic a secret for five years. Clearly he was far better at hiding things than Arthur gave him credit for. Still, when Arthur had come out to see what had happened Merlin looked like he had been about to throw up or pass out…or both. That wasn't what some evil sorcerer would look like after attacking someone, it was what any guy would look like after accidentally hurting a friend.

Still deep in thought, Arthur said, "You may go."

Leon

"He threatened me Arthur! He caused me injury! He is an evil sorcerer trying to topple Camelot! He's trying to kill you and your father!"

Arthur had found that Leon was only too eager to talk and every word he had said so far had only implicated Merlin. Despite this he had to wonder if Leon had simply been so strongly indoctrinated to hate magic that he couldn't imagine the existence of a good sorcerer. Arthur knew he had trouble with the idea.

"Leon," Arthur's voice was extremely firm. "What _exactly_ did Merlin say to you?"

Leon thought hard about this. Arthur was glad, it meant that Leon might give him exactly what happened so Arthur could decide what to think about Merlin for himself.

"I'm pretty sure he said, 'You can't go to training today', 'If you go to training you are going to get hurt', and when I started to walk away 'If you go to training you are going to regret it.'"

For the first time that day Arthur voiced his thought process. "Could he have been warning, not threatening?"

"I suppose so." Leon looked doubtful.

"Merlin was standing next to me when the accident happened; would I have heard him if he cast a spell to hurt you?"

This was an honest question and Leon realized this. He scratched his chin thoughtfully for a minute before saying. "I think you would have, sire." He left the room looking thoughtful.

Percival

"The guards saw you and Lancelot leave the city with Merlin last night." Arthur said, "Why did you help him?"

"I think he was warning Leon, not threatening him," he answered honestly, "and Gwaine was his friend, somehow I can't imagine Merlin hurting him on purpose."

Arthur had to resist the urge to jump for joy at this testimony but something was nagging at him. "Everyone else seems to think that since Merlin is a sorcerer he must be evil… but not you, why?"

"In the place I come from, magic is permitted. Not all sorcerers are evil, my lord, just the ones you seem to run into."

Arthur couldn't resist any longer. He smiled widely for the first time all day.

Percival looked confused for a moment and then he realized, "You never thought Merlin was evil, did you?"

Arthur shook his head, still smiling "My father always taught me that anyone with magic is evil but I _know_ Merlin. I would trust him with my life and I have yet to hear anything that would change that opinion."

Lancelot

Since questioning Percival, Arthur was confident that Merlin, although he had magic, was the same man he had known the last five years, but there was still a question that needed to be answered.

As soon as he had entered the room Lancelot had made a point of looking anywhere but at Arthur. He was currently staring at a crack in the back wall near the ceiling that ants were crawling out of.

"Lancelot, I know when the others found out that Merlin had magic, but when did you?"

The man looked extremely uncomfortable and dropped his gaze to the stone floor. That wasn't a good sign.

"When Lance?" Arthur cried, standing up with his hands still on the table.

"The first time we met." He mumbled.

Arthur's jaw dropped, he couldn't help it.

Lancelot met his gaze for the first time. "Remember how the griffin attacked and you and your men had all been knocked unconscious?"

Arthur nodded, "Yes, and you killed it."

Lancelot smiled and shook his head, "No, I didn't. Merlin did." He held up a hand to stop Arthur from commenting. "I was charging towards the creature on a horse, I heard Merlin screaming some words I didn't understand and the end of my lance was surrounded by blue light." He smirked at the memory, "Merlin had hoped I wouldn't notice but it was a bit hard to miss."

Arthur sat back in his chair and burst out laughing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to all those who reviewed, alerted, and favored. I really appreciate it.**

Merlin had been away from Camelot for three weeks and anyone who didn't know him very well wouldn't have recognized him. _Arthur probably wouldn't even recognize me_. He thought with a wry laugh.

He had used magic to grow out his hair to about the length of Gwaine's and he had grown a beard. To add to it he had dramatically changed his clothing. He no longer wore the red neckerchief-it was too easy an identifier- and now wore the mail armour, a sword-he laughed at this, as if he would ever be able to use it properly-and the blue cloak.

He had finally gotten his magic under control; after all it was amazing what you could do when you could get some proper practice in. The visions however had become more frequent and more vivid. This was why he was unsurprised when Morgana appeared in the clearing behind him. He had seen that this was going to happen. What he hadn't been able to see was what his reaction was going to be.

"Hello, Morgana," he said, his voice deep and harsh from misuse.

"Emrys," she whispered in awe. He didn't answer; it was clear that Morgause had scryed his location. "I am assembling an army of sorcerers to attack Camelot."

Merlin closed his eyes and smiled wryly. "I know."

"Would you like to see?" she asked hesitantly.

"Sure, why not?" He stood up and turned to face her.

She was leaning against a moss covered ash on the edge of the clearing. She raised an eyebrow at the Pendragon crest on his cloak but made no comment. She clearly didn't recognize him as her brother's goofy manservant. As far as she was concerned they had never met.

She led the way to where the sorcerers were gathering for the attack. Merlin noticed with little surprise how few druids were among their number. Clearly Morgana and Morgause had been unable to win the peaceful people to their cause.

The encampment was clearly temporary. It was little more than a jumble of tents erected in an extremely disorganized fashion. There were only about fifty here but fifty sorcerers could cause Camelot quite a bit of damage. They might even be enough to breech the city in a surprise attack. The scene was enough to make Merlin worry for his friends.

The men and women were milling about or sitting at one of the cook fires preparing their noontime meal. There were no children among the group. Merlin sighed in relief upon noticing this. It had been a real worry of his.

"Where is your sister?" he asked.

"She is in the north, trying to gather more to our cause. She will be back by sunset to join us for our attack."

Merlin couldn't help but notice she was already referring to things as though he were a part of the group. "You are attacking tonight?" he asked with mild surprise.

"Yes and I was hoping you might join us."

The gall with which she asked this, as if it were merely a formality and he would instantly except, disgusted Merlin. She knew nothing of who Emrys was, why should she assume he would side with her? He decided not to grant her question a response and asked instead, "So what is your plan?"

"We will attack at sunset when they will not be expecting it. We will cut down their forces and break through the gates. I will have the pleasure of killing Uther and Arthur myself."

Short, sweet, and to the point, but not logistically sound at all. Merlin glanced sideways at her, "So you would just kill your own brother?"

"Of course not," she said with a smirk, "I will kill everyone he cares about in front of him first."

This was too much for Merlin. How could she have gone so far that she could do such a thing to someone she had once been friends with? Before she could make another move he pinned her against a tree with magic. After the initial shock was over several people leaped up to come to Morgana's assistance, so Merlin put up a barrier around them to keep people from interfering.

"You do realize that by killing Arthur you would only be hurting your own cause? You have clearly heard the legends since you know who I am, but don't you realize who Arthur is?"

She smirked, "We've no need of Arthur. I too am a Pendragon. We could rule Camelot together, Emrys."

Merlin merely shook his head. Morgana had clearly gone off the deep end. "What happened between us Morgana? We used to be such good friends." Morgana now looked deeply confused. Merlin slowly began walking towards her. "You, Arthur, Gwen, and me, we all used to get along so well. You even helped me save my village once when Uther refused to send aid. Do you remember?"

Recognition flashed in her eyes. "Merlin." She began struggling violently.

With another wave of magic he flattened her against the tree so she couldn't move. She whimpered a bit. His face was now inches from hers. "Hello Morgana. I am sorry for what I have done to you in the past, but you made your own choices." He took a step back. He needed to get back to Camelot to warn Arthur of the coming attack, even if it meant being arrested and having to escape. They would never be able to actually execute him with the way his powers had grown. "Goodbye Morgana," he said and teleported out of the clearing.

…

Arthur paced back and forth in his room. It had been nearly three weeks since Merlin had left the city. Arthur had wanted to ride out and find him immediately after talking to Lancelot but there had been two things standing in his way.

The first was that neither Lancelot nor Percival would tell him where Merlin was. Lancelot had simply said "It isn't my secret to tell." Percival on the other hand had given an even more irritating answer. "He will come back when he is ready." He had told Arthur. "Besides, things here need a chance to cool down first anyways."

The second thing was Gaius. When Arthur had gone to talk to him he had said essentially the same thing as Percival had. Arthur respected his opinion, after all Gaius knew Merlin better than anyone.

Still it had been three weeks and he was slowly being driven mad by Merlin's continued absence.

Just then he heard a fierce wind coming from…the hallway? _What on earth?_ There was loud cursing from three different voices.

"Seize him, he's a sorcerer!" Arthur heard a guard shout.

Arthur's door slammed open and a man unceremoniously burst through. The man shut the door quickly and waved his hand over the lock. Arthur heard the lock click home. The man sighed in relief and turned around. When he saw Arthur standing mere feet from him he froze in surprise.

Arthur studied the man. At first glance he didn't recognize him at all but as he studied him more closely he felt a twinge of familiarity. He slowly took in the elf like features of the man and those bright blue eyes he could swear he knew quite well. Recognition suddenly hit fully and he shouted in joy and surprise, "Merlin!"

…

His landings had improved; he hadn't gone sliding across the floor this time. However he was a bit unbalanced after the teleport and he fell backwards into the wall. He saw the guards then. There were two of them and by the looks on their faces they had seen him teleport in. He cursed at the same moment they did.

One of them shouted "Seize him, he's a sorcerer!"

After only a moment of hesitation he pushed open the door to Arthur's room and rushed in. He closed the door after him and locked it with magic. With a sigh of relief he turned around to find a seat to wait for Arthur to arrive.

He hadn't expected Arthur to be in there at this time of day so when he saw the Prince standing mere feet from him he stopped in surprise.

Arthur's brow furrowed. Merlin had been correct in his assumption that Arthur wouldn't recognize him. Then a tiny flash of recognition appeared in Arthur's blue eyes and his scrutiny intensified. Merlin did his best not to squirm under the Prince's scrutiny.

There was a flash of solid recognition in the Prince's eyes and he shouted, "Merlin!"

Merlin immediately jumped into action, "Before you call the guards to take me to the dungeons I really need to tell you something."

Before Merlin had a chance to say anything more Arthur walked towards him and Merlin feared the worst. Then, to Merlin's complete and utter shock, Arthur hugged him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you again for all the reviews, alerting, and favoring. You have no idea how much it makes me smile when I see them in my email.**

Merlin couldn't speak. What was going on? Arthur was hugging him. But he must know that Merlin was a sorcerer by now, so why was he acting like this?

Arthur suddenly seemed to realize what he was doing so he stepped backwards and said, "Idiot…I missed you."

Merlin's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't make anything come out.

There was a click from behind Merlin of the lock being opened. He turned around to watch the door pushed open and the guards rush into the room. Merlin threw up a barrier blocking the guards from Arthur and himself. He would let himself be captured, but not before he told Arthur about the coming assault.

Arthur looked at the golden barrier in surprise for a moment-it was the first time he had seen Merlin use magic for himself- then said to the guards, "You may go. Everything is under control."

Merlin and the two guards all looked at him like he had completely lost his mind. "But sire, he is a sorcerer." One of the guards squeaked.

"I am well aware. Now go!"

After another moment of hesitation the two guards left the room, shutting the door behind them. Merlin dropped the barrier.

"I should never have given them a key to my chambers," Arthur muttered, clearly annoyed.

"Why didn't you let them take me?" Merlin asked.

"You wanted to be taken to the dungeons?" Arthur asked, confused.

"Well, no…but…" Merlin sputtered.

"I'm glad you're back, Merlin."

Merlin couldn't have been more shocked had Gaius run him through with a sword. With a shock he remembered why he was there and his confusion about Arthur's reaction was pushed to the back of his mind. "Arthur, we need to talk."

Arthur's eyes widened a degree. "Okay," he said and waved for Merlin to sit.

Merlin remained standing. "Morgana is going to attack the city."

Arthur took the news with an impressive grace brought on by years of training and stress. "Okay, when?"

"Sunset."

At this news Arthur sat down heavily on the edge of his bed. "How many?" Arthur asked, his voice barely above a whisper. They didn't have nearly enough time to prepare. How had the scouts not found this force?

"Around fifty."

Arthur's brow creased in confusion. "A force so small would hardly pose a threat."

Merlin looked down at his feet. "Arthur, they are sorcerers, every one of them."

The blood drained from Arthur's face. "What are we to do?"

"Sound the warning bell. Close the gates and get all the townspeople inside and under cover. Prepare all the knights, soldiers, and guards for battle." Merlin said sensibly.

Arthur nodded and stood up. "Come with me. I will gather the knights and inform them of what must be done. I suppose we should be glad we received any warning at all."

They headed out of Arthur's chambers and sent the guards to ring the warning bell. As they past servants they sent them to collect the other knights. Arthur led Merlin to a room with a large table where they waited for the others to arrive.

They were silent for several minutes when a thought suddenly hit Merlin. "How will the others react when they see me?"

Arthur smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Stupid, why didn't I think of that?" Arthur looked Merlin up and down for a minute then said, "I don't think most of them would recognize you at the moment, and besides, Gwaine, Elyan, and Gwen are the only ones we need to bring around."

Merlin noticed that he didn't count Leon among this number, but decided not to comment.

"Elyan will come round as soon as Gwen does. I have been trying to get through to her these last weeks and I think I am getting close. Gwaine on the other hand you will have to deal with yourself. No matter what I have said, he still thinks you attacked him."

Merlin nodded slowly in understanding. It was then that Gwen chose the most convenient time possible to walk into the room.

"Arthur, what is going on?" she asked then she froze, spotting Merlin. "Merlin." She gasped.

Merlin chuckled and turned to look at the prince. "She figured out it was me quite a bit faster than you did, _sire_."

"Shut up Merlin."

"Dollophead."

"A…Arthur, what is he doing here?" Gwen asked, her voice shaking.

Arthur realized just how scared she was and hugged her close.

"I'm not like Morgana, Gwen." Merlin said, his voice pleading. "Please, you know me."

Gwen met his eyes and her words spilled out in a gush. "Yes Merlin, I know you. What I don't know is what you will become. Having magic changed Morgana. It made her cruel. Ever since you have learned magic it has probably grown inside you too and I don't want to watch you change like she did."

It was completely inappropriate, but Merlin had been alone for three weeks so perhaps his reaction can be excused. He laughed.

Gwen looked even more terrified and Arthur glared at him, however there was an edge of uncertainty even in his eyes as if he might share some of Gwen's fears.

Once Merlin had gotten a hold on himself he explained. "Gwen, I was born with magic. If magic was going to turn me evil, it would have happened long ago." Merlin became even more serious and gained a hard glint in his eyes. "Magic isn't good or evil; it depends completely upon the person wielding it."

Tears began to run down Gwen's face and Arthur pulled her closer. "People aren't born with magic though…" Arthur said in confusion.

"I was. What can I say?" Merlin shot them a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I must be a freak, a monster…" Before Merlin could continue Gwen burst out of Arthur's embrace and hugged Merlin.

"Don't even think that Merlin. You are a good and kind person." Gwen said.

"You called me an evil sorcerer." Merlin said in confusion.

"I didn't think you were evil. I was scared you were going to be just like Morgana, that you would become evil and betray us all," Gwen said, wiping away her tears with the back of one hand. "And now I know you aren't like her. You are the same person I have known these past years."

Merlin couldn't help but smile at her quick turn around. This time the smile reached his eyes and Arthur, seeing this, sighed in relief. That was two people taken care of, but that still left Gwaine to sort out.

Thinking of Gwaine shocked the prince back to reality. "The others will be here any minute so you two might want to pretend you have never met each other before. We will just have to hope Gwaine doesn't recognize you right away, Merlin."

The two nodded in understanding and separated. Arthur and Merlin took their positions standing by the table. Arthur gestured to the map. "Where did you last see Morgana's forces?" Merlin was pointing out the location when the knights entered the room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks as usual for all the reviews, alerts, and favoring. I am going to try to get this finished before school starts again but this week is a bit crazy so my uploading will be a bit sporadic.**

All the knights gave Merlin curious glances as they spotted him but no one said anything as they took their positions around the table.

"Morgana is going to attack Camelot with a force of fifty sorcerers at sunset." Arthur said bluntly.

The shock of everyone present was tangible. "How reliable is this information, my lord?" Leon asked.

"We received it from the most reliable source." Arthur said, nodding towards Merlin.

Now everyone's attention was focused on him. Once more it was Leon who spoke. "Who is this man, my lord?"

The word "Merlin" was forming on Arthur's lips when he realized what he was doing. He began fumbling, trying to figure out how to respond.

Merlin, thinking quickly said, "You may call me Emrys."

Percival visibly started at this and Merlin had to fight the urge to smack his head against the table in frustration. _Idiot, he must have heard the legends._ However Percival made no comment as Arthur began giving them all instructions as to how to prepare for the attack. During the briefing all of the knights would occasionally shoot Merlin curious glances, however about halfway through Lancelot began openly scrutinizing him. Merlin looked down and tried to avoid his gaze. There was a sudden intake of breath from across the table and Merlin raised his gaze to look at Lancelot. "_Merlin?" _he mouthed. Merlin bowed his head in confirmation. From then on Lancelot pointedly looked anywhere except at him. Merlin rolled his eyes. _Yes Lancelot, because that isn't suspicious at all._

Arthur finished speaking and the knights and Gwen exited the room, leaving Arthur and Merlin alone. Merlin stared down at his feet for awhile, trying to make up his mind on what to do. Finally he spoke, "I am going to go talk to Gwaine." He said, and walked out of the room before Arthur could speak a word.

Merlin had no trouble finding Gwaine. He was leaning against a wall outside the stables and after studying him for a minute Merlin realized something he hadn't noticed before. _He's even more drunk than usual! No wonder he didn't recognize me. _

Merlin approached the man he still considered his friend. Gwaine's eyes were unfocused and he was leaning on the wall heavily to hold himself upright. As Merlin came to stand in front of him though, his eyes focused and he grinned widely. "Hello Emrys, I'm Gwaine!"

Under different circumstances Merlin would have had to resist the urge to laugh. He was in no laughing mood however as he put out his hands and gripped Gwaine's shoulders. "Gwaine, you have to believe me. I didn't attack you. You are my friend!" Tears were threatening in Merlin's eyes. "I was having trouble controlling my powers and you surprised me. It was instinctual. I'm sorry!"

Gwaine was looking down at his feet, now apparently sober and shaking his head slowly. "Merlin," he sighed. He now lifted his head up to look at Merlin, grinning widely.

Surprised, Merlin took a step backwards, releasing Gwaine's shoulders as he did so.

"You're forgiven Merlin. I know that it was an accident."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You didn't believe me the last time I told you that. You thought I was evil," he said, clearly suspicious.

Gwaine laughed. "Merlin, I had just taken quite the knock to the head. After these past three weeks of thinking and Arthur pestering me, I realized what you had said was true. Besides, I had suspected you had magic for some time, so it wasn't too far a leap."

Merlin was going to respond but a young girl bumped into Gwaine and dropped the basket she was carrying. Gwaine handed it back to her and stood up to find Merlin frozen, eyes unfocused.

"Merlin?" Gwaine questioned.

He stayed like that a moment longer then he looked at Gwaine, his eyes focused once more. "We need to get to the castle walls, _now_!" He began running and without hesitation Gwaine followed. "_All knights to the east wall immediately_." Merlin sent the message to all the knights. He could only hope they would heed him and actually come.

The sun was beginning to sink behind the trees and the streets were utterly deserted as Merlin and Gwaine rushed to the east wall.

…

Arhur had heard Merlin's message and after a brief shock he had come to the wall as instructed. He was glad to see that everyone else had come as well. It was lucky because none of them knew that "Emrys" had magic.

Merlin and Gwaine burst through the door and onto the wall. Gwaine was smiling widely- a good sign.

"What's going on Me…er Emrys?" Arthur asked.

Merlin didn't reply but looked out towards the forest, all the knights following his gaze. They began emerge from the trees, all fifty-six of them, Morgana and Morgause standing in front.

"Well it seems that my brother's pet has warned him that we were coming." Morgana called upon seeing them. "It won't do you any good though, we will still crush you." Arthur noticed that Merlin's eyes hardened at Morgana's words. His knuckles were white as his hands gripped the stone of the outer wall. "You can still turn around Morgana. You can all leave with your lives and your freedom."

Morgana ignored her brother's words and instead spoke again to Merlin. "You can still join us Emrys."

"_No."_ the word was a sent to everyone's mind, forceful and final.

"Emrys, you are a traitor!" Morgana screamed. "And you will die as a traitor. You have betrayed your own kind Emrys…or should I say Merlin."

Percival, Leon, and Elyan's heads whipped around to look at Merlin, realizing what they had missed. Arthur was also studying Merlin intently. The anger was clear on his features. It was something Arthur had never seen before and frankly it was scary. He never wanted Merlin to look at him like that. As he watched Merlin's eyes flashed gold and Morgana's head snapped around as though someone had slapped her across the face. Gwaine whooped in laughter.

Morgana glared at them, a trickle of blood flowing from her nose. She raised her hand in the air for a moment and then dropped it- the signal for attack.


	9. Chapter 9

Fifty-six pairs of eyes glowed and fifty-four balls of energy were sent into the air, two of them having fizzled against their owners' hands. They were of every colour of the rainbow and Arthur couldn't help but watch in amazement as they flew towards him, eleven more fizzling out long before they would have reached the castle. Of those left five would have done no damage upon landing, even if they struck someone directly. That left thirty-eight energy balls that would have caused severe damage and ten of those would also have left giant craters.

Arthur realized with more perception than normal that each person's magic must have its own individual colour and despite the danger he couldn't _not_ watch their rapid approach. He wondered if it was because they were energy and not any specific spell but he could almost feel their casters' emotions. He was easily able to pick out Morgause's. It was an ugly brown from which he could sense a lust. He also found Morgana's, a brilliant green that contained far more hate than any of the others. This study of the sorcerers' magic, no matter how brief, meant that when the barrier appeared before them, created of a brilliant gold, he was more shocked than anyone, despite having seen it before.

He turned to look at his friend, the man he had known for five years. He was standing calmly, his eyes glowing gold. He looked completely relaxed, as if stopping the attacks of so many sorcerers was as easy as breathing. He was shocked at Merlin's power but what he found even more surprising was what he sensed from his friend's magic. He had known Merlin had a good heart, but he had had no idea just how good.

Merlin dropped the barrier and seemed to notice for the first time that all the knights were staring at him. He shifted uncomfortably under their gazes. "What?"

"Merlin, how powerful are you?" Gwaine asked.

Merlin's ears turned red and he seemed to be struggling for words when a scream of rage from below cut off whatever he might have said.

They looked down to see the terrified faces of the sorcerers and the furious ones of Morgana and Morgause.

Arthur tried to take advantage of the situation and called down to their attackers. "You may still leave in peace. I will give you one more chance to walk away from this fight."

Some of the men and women seemed to seriously be considering this but Morgana decided to take it upon herself to answer for them. "We will not leave until we can practice our magic freely and openly."

Arthur's brow furrowed in confusion. "But you already can." He said. Everyone on both sides looked at him in surprise and confusion. "I legalized magic nearly two weeks ago." He realized the looks everyone, even his knights, were giving him. "What? Wasn't it announced?" All the knights shook their heads in the negative. "In that case..." Arthur cleared his throat, looking extremely uncomfortable and called loud enough for the attackers to hear, "Magic is now legal in Camelot. If you stop your attack and return to your homes you will be able to practice magic freely and without persecution. You will be valued citizens of Camelot."

There was only a brief moment of hesitation amongst the sorcerers before they began to disperse. Most followed the roads back into the forest, presumably returning to their home villages. Only two walked towards the city, and both Merlin and Arthur couldn't help but notice that they were the two whose magic had fizzled.

_Merlin is like them. _Arthur thought_. He has spent these past years having to hide. If he has this much power under those circumstances, how strong will he be now that he can practice magic freely?_ Arthur didn't want to admit it, but the thought terrified him.

Only Morgana and Morgause were left outside the walls and it was clear by their expressions that whatever was going to happen wasn't going to be good for Camelot. The pair began chanting in a language Arthur couldn't understand, but recognized as that used for magic. Merlin however must have either understood the language or at least recognized the spell because his eyes widened in surprise and…was that humor?

The pair finished their chanting and teleported themselves onto the wall. They arrived in a rush of wind and holding hands. "You will now die!" Morgause spat, "We have summoned a creature that when it arrives will kill you all!"

This should have worried Arthur, but he was too focused on Merlin. The man looked like he was struggling not to laugh.

"What is it? What have you called here?" Leon questioned, holding his sword in a threat.

"A dragon." Morgana said with a smirk. "And judging by what happened the last time it was in Camelot it will take our side and kill the lot of you."

That was it. Merlin burst out laughing. Everyone looked at him in surprise. He tried to get a hold of himself and explain but he couldn't do it.

Arthur, looking a touch disconcerted said, "I killed the dragon."

Morgana shook her head, smirking. "It was spotted just a week ago near the border of Camelot."

Merlin had finally stopped laughing, although he continued to chuckle every few seconds. "And how do you expect to control him?" He questioned.

At this Morgana gave her most evil smirk of all. "I don't need to. After being imprisoned for so long the dragon will want to raze Camelot to the ground. I don't know why it stopped last time, but without any dragonlords left there will be nothing to stop it."

At this Merlin smiled widely. Both of the sisters began to look a bit uncomfortable.

"I think I see it!" Gwaine shouted. They all looked in the direction he was pointing. The knights all looked worried and the sisters were smirking in anticipation, but to the confusion of everyone Merlin still looked like he had just heard the funniest joke of his life.

The dragon landed just outside the wall with a loud thump and raised his head to be even with the humans standing on the wall.

"Hello young warlock." The dragon said.

"Hello Kilgarah. It's good to see you again." Merlin said calmly.

Eight jaws dropped in utter shock.


	10. Chapter 10

**So here it is, the last chapter. I didn't even realize it would be until about halfway through. I'm glad so many of you enjoyed Kilgarah's appearance in the previous chapter. Thank for all the reviews and for reading the story.**

"So let me get this straight," Arthur said, "You're a dragonlord?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I think that was established that fact outside."

Morgana and Morgause had fled as soon as they had gotten over their shock at the dragon not only not attacking Camelot, but in fact siding with the city's fiercest protectors. Of course after they were gone Arthur and the knights had nothing to focus on but the fact that A. the dragon was alive and well and B. Merlin knew it, apparently quite well. Merlin had quickly sent Kilgarah away but had heard the dragon's laughter in his head for quite some time as he flew away making it only too obvious that he was a dragonlord.

They were now in Gaius' chambers with all the knights as well as the addition of Gwen crowded around him while Arthur questioned him.

"But I thought that Balinor was the last dragonlord." Arthur said, trying to piece things together in his mind

Merlin dropped his eyes to the floor. "He was my father."

"I'm sorry." Arthur whispered, and he was. Now it made sense why Merlin had been so upset over the man's death. He had found his father and had almost immediately lost him again.

Gwen, who was sitting next to Merlin, reached out to take his hand and squeezed it. Merlin looked up and gave her a small smile. Arthur took it as a sign that it was okay to continue.

"How powerful are you?"

Merlin looked extremely uncomfortable and began studying the ground again. He wasn't sure how to answer. They all were his friends again against all odds, the last thing he needed to do was scare them.

"Are you really Emrys?" Percival suddenly asked.

Merlin glanced at Percival, wondering if he should admit it. Yes, there was no reason to lie anymore. "Yes, I am."

Percival's eyes widened a degree. And, much to Merlin's relief, the questioning turned on the knight.

"You mean he didn't make up that name?" Arthur asked.

"You have never heard the prophesies about Emrys and the Once and Future King?" Percival questioned.

Arthur shook his head. "My father banned…"

"OH! Ohohohohoh!" Gwaine shouted, jumping out of his seat and pointing at Merlin. "That's you?"

Merlin nodded. He supposed that such a reaction was only to be expected from Gwaine.

"Merlin, that's awesome! I need to remember to call you next time I get in a fight." He turned to look at Arthur and said quite seriously, "You should be nicer to him."

Arthur looked truly exasperated. "Would someone please tell me who Emrys is?" Gwaine raised a finger in the air and smirked, about to answer but Arthur said "Other than that he's Merlin," before he got the chance. Gwaine dropped his hand, looking dejected.

Percival sighed and began to explain. "In short, the prophesies say that Emrys is a sorcerer who will protect the Once and Future King-you- from threats until you become king and he will then be a close advisor. He is said to be the one who will bring magic back to Camelot and…" He paused and looked at Merlin. It was hard to miss the slight glimmer of fear in his eyes. He turned back to Arthur. "He is supposed to be the most powerful sorcerer who has ever been and will ever be born."

Everyone turned to look at Merlin but Merlin looked only at Arthur, trying to gauge his reaction. Just as in Percival's eyes there was a slight glimmer of fear but it faded and Arthur cracked a smile. "Well, let's just be happy that he is on our side." He punched Merlin in the arm.

"Prat."

Tension broken, they all started laughing and joking together, recalling the events of the day. Merlin still couldn't stop laughing at Morgana and Morgause summoning Kilgarah.

The door opened and Gaius stepped into the room. The volume dropped to zero as they all turned to face him. Gaius looked confused until his eyes found Merlin.

The man looked sheepish, expecting to be chewed out for not coming to see Gaius earlier. Gaius stomped up to his ward and, much to Merlin's surprise, hugged him fiercely. "Never leave like that again. Ever."

Merlin didn't know what to say so he settled on, "Okay."

Gaius released him and turned to face Arthur, his expression sad and sympathetic. "Your father isn't doing very well Arthur. He has perhaps a day left, maybe less."

Merlin expected Arthur to become angry but he merely said, "Thank you Gaius. I will go spend the time that is left with him." He stood up and began walking to the door but halfway there he turned back. "Merlin, could you come with me please?"

Without a word Merlin stood up and followed him out of the room.

They walked to Uther's room in silence. It wasn't until they were standing outside his door that Merlin finally spoke. "Are you alright?"

Arthur sighed and dropped his hand, which had been halfway to the door handle. "Yes. I have known this would be coming for some time now. I will make the most of these last hours with him."

Merlin nodded in understanding and Arthur pushed open the door to the room. Uther was awake and smiled as they walked in. "Ah, Tristan and…its Balinor isn't it? You're a friend of Gaius?"

Merlin looked to Arthur in confusion. Arthur sighed. "He thinks it's before the Great Purge again. It's pretty common of late. Apparently I look quite a bit like my uncle." Arthur studied Merlin for a minute. "You know, with your new look and taking some thirty years and all the grime off his face, you do look a bit like Balinor."

Merlin hadn't realized this but he supposed it was possible. Of course if it was before the Great Purge, using magic in front of Uther would be safe. He decided to play along and bowed to Uther. "My lord."

Arthur walked over to Uther's side. "So how is my sister doing, Uther?" he asked genially. Apparently he played along with Uther's version of reality as well.

Arthur and Merlin seated themselves in chairs on either side of Uther's bed. "Oh, she is splendid. The pregnancy is just beginning to show. We have Nimueh to thank for that," he said, smiling warmly.

Arthur's eyes darkened. _How much does he know?_ Merlin worried.

Uther, seeing this, tried to comfort 'Tristan'. "Oh do not worry, Tristan. Remember, soon enough you will have a nephew."

Arthur smiled, although it now didn't reach his eyes. "Of course, Uther."

Uther smiled and quickly fell asleep. Once it was clear he was sound asleep Arthur looked to Merlin.

"Don't worry Merlin, I already know about how I was conceived and how my mother died. I also know why you told me Morgause was lying when she told me the truth of it. I thank you for stopping me from killing my father."

Merlin sighed in relief and nodded. "Good. I was a bit worried about that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Arthur looked at his best friend; he had to admit it that that was what Merlin was to him, and asked, "So you have been protecting me all this time?"

Merlin nodded. "Ever since I came to Camelot."

Arthur looked thoughtful. "Thank you." He said. "I'm not sure how many times you deserved for me to at least say that and I had no idea, but that you."

Merlin smiled. "It has been my pleasure." His smile widened. "When you weren't being a prat at least."

Arthur smiled in return. "Idiot."

"Dollophead."

"Sorcerer."

They both began laughing but Uther began to stir lightly. Arthur became very serious. "There is no way of knowing where he will think he is when he wakes up," he explained. "So be careful, at least until we figure it out."

Uther woke up and looked around the room. His eyes locked onto Merlin. "Sorcerer." He spat.

Merlin stood up and began backing away, realizing that this wasn't going to end well. Uther leaped from the bed with astounding speed considering his condition. He reached over and grabbed a knife from Arthur's belt and before Arthur had time to react, he threw the blade at Merlin with impressive accuracy.

Arthur watched in shock as the blade stopped in its tracks mere inches from Merlin's face. His friend's eyes were glowing a brilliant gold which faded as the blade dropped to the floor. He now directed his gaze away from the blade and back to Uther. His eyes flared gold again and Uther crumpled. Arthur just barely managed to catch him as he fell. He laid his father back on the bed, trusting that Merlin had merely made the man fall asleep.

He turned his attention back to Merlin as he walked over and retook his seat next to the bed. "You didn't use any spells." Arthur said.

Merlin shook his head. "When I'm doing simple things such as that I rarely need to."

_This is going to take some getting used to. _Arthur thought.

"I have an idea." Merlin said suddenly. Arthur watched as he stood up and moved so he was standing right next to Uther's head. He placed one hand under the king's head, supporting it. Merlin's eyes glowed and Uther woke up. Merlin kept his hand on the king's head as he sat up.

"Arthur." Uther exclaimed, smiling. "It's so good to see you son."

"You are doing this?" Arthur asked.

Uther's brow furrowed in confusion. "Doing what, my boy?"

"I have brought him back to the present but he does not know I'm here." Merlin explained. His voice became sympathetic as he said, "You had better hurry. I sense that he doesn't have long."

"Nothing, never mind." Arthur answered his father. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you father. For all your faults, you have always cared about me."

A solitary tear ran down Uther's cheek. "I love you too Arthur. You have grown into a better man than I could possibly have hoped. Just follow your heart and you will be a great king."

"Thank you, Father. I will."

The king laid down and fell back to sleep. Merlin withdrew his hand and sat back down once more. The two friends sat in silence as their king drew his last breath and died peacefully in his sleep, having settled things in the best way possible with his son before he passed on.

The two stood up and left the room. Merlin dispatched the two guards to fetch the people who would take care of preparing the body for burial.

"So what now, my King?" Merlin said, mockingly.

Arthur shook his head. "When will you realize that you need to treat me with respect?"

Merlin smiled. "When will you realize that I can turn you into a toad with just a thought?"

Arthur punched him in the arm. "Idiot." He threw one arm around Merlin's shoulder and they walked off down the hall.

The End…For Now

**Yes, it is the end but only for now. Due to the fact that my mind is working at a thousand miles per hour on story lines coming off this one I will be writing a sequel. The first chapter will be up within the next few days. I hope I ended the story on a good note. Please review! This was my first ever fanfic and I would love feedback be it good, bad, or indifferent!**


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